Fast start aids Stars in victory

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ST. CHARLES -- An 11-0 run to begin the game all but buried visiting Wheaton North on Tuesday as St. Charles North rolled to a 58-39 victory in non-conference action.

St. Charles North scored on its first three possessions against the Falcons, including starting the game with a 3-pointer by senior Anna Conrad. Senior Kelsey Smith then scored back-to-back baskets to give North an 11-0 advantage. Wheaton North finally got on the board following a pair of free throws with 4:12 left in the opening quarter, but by that time the damage had been done.

"We came out very aggressive," North coach Katie Sauber-Duraski said. "We knew Wheaton North was a high intensity team and we wanted to match that. We took advantage of transition opportunities and got some nice, easy buckets early on."

The Falcons, who entered the game on a six-game winning streak, would get as close as seven points on two separate occasions in the third quarter. However, both times St. Charles North answered with a basket on its next possession to keep the Falcons -- members of the DuPage Valley Conference -- at bay.

St. Charles North (12-5) eventually began to pull away for good after putting together a 10-2 run to jump ahead 47-32 in the opening minutes of the final quarter.

"We are learning to get our composure back and that's what we did," Sauber-Duraski said. "We were able to take a deep breath, put things in perspective and we knew what we had to do to take care of the game."

Smith dominated from the outset, scoring 10 of her game-high 20 points in the first quarter on 5-for-5 shooting from the field. Smith would go on to ride the bench for long stretches of the game during the second and third quarters after getting into foul trouble. But the North Stars, supported by strong bench play, were able to maintain a comfortable lead throughout.

"It's pretty hard to sit on the bench. Obviously you want to be on the floor all the time," said Smith, who added four rebounds and two blocks. "At the same time, I have confidence in my teammates. They are going to be just fine. I just have to play a little smarter the next time."

St. Charles North iced the victory down the stretch by hitting 16 of 18 free throws attempts in the second half. Junior point guard Kiley Hackbarth, who had 10 of her 14 points in the second half, was 5 of 5 from the charity stripe. Junior Jenna Bell added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

"I don't rate our wins. Every win is a good win for us," Sauber-Duraski said. "We were fortunate we were having a good night and we were strong."

For the game, the North Stars connected on 20 of 37 shots (54 percent) from the field while the Falcons (12-6) converted just 13 of 54 (24 percent) of their opportunities.